Devices for assisting a person for sit-up exercises are well known in the art. See for example U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,863,158 to Tassone; 5,122,107 to Gardner; 5,169,372 to Tecco and 5,267,931 to Faetini. The devices shown and described in these patents have shortcomings in the support of the head during a stomach muscle building exercise. The exercise bar shown in the Tassone patent employs a rigid neck bow that cannot comfortably adjust to a person's neck. The harness described in the Gardner patent employs a complex web of support straps using fixed width straps behind the neck and under the head.
The device shown in Tecco is also a rigid neck support which can, depending upon the selected embodiment be painful to use. The device described in the patent to Faetini uses a fixed contoured cervical support design to provide the desired neck support.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,295,949 describes a neck immobilizing elongate elastic neck band for rehabilitation of a neck injury. The neck band is resiliently stretchable and has a pocket to receive one of several types of inserts. The neck band is made with a stiffener whose function is to maintain a flat configuration for the neck band though the stiffeners will conform to the bend of the neck band around the neck of a person. The inserts are made of a semi-rigid pliable material which when placed within the pocket of the neck band immobilize the neck.
These prior art devices are in some cases somewhat painful to use and in others not sufficiently conforming to provide the desired comfort and ease of use as an abdominal muscle exercising support.